Stand
by kandykane33
Summary: ...Complete...no good summary..Changed from Bandit to Stand. I DON'T own the song by Rascal Flatts
1. Chapter 1

"Aunt Ava?" Nikki asked walking into her aunt's room.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Some kids at school are going on a field trip to a ranch an hour away. I was wondering if I could go."

"What will you be doing at this ranch?" her aunt asked looking up at her.

"Learning the duties of a rancher and possibly learning how to ride horses," Nikki told her aunt.

"Don't you already know how to do those?"

"I don't know how to ride a horse," Nikki siad, "Please Aunt Ava. I really want to do this."

Ava thought about this for a few minutes. Her niece really did want to do it and was shocked that she didn't learn how to back in Kansas. "Okay," Ava said.

"Thank you!" Nikki squealed hugging her aunt.

Kay sat on a stack of hay near the Gerry Lawson Ranch. Life lately has been a pain for her. Everything was going wrong. She wished that she knew why. Why did everything happen to her? She only has one person to turn to in her time of need. Well, it wasn't really a person.

"Kay," a man asked walking up to her, "how are you holding up?" She shook her head and sighed. "Everything will be okay. It will take time to move on."

Tears flowed down Kay's face the thought of losing her father entered her mind. "Not for a long time," she said softly.

"If it makes you feel better, the ranch is all yours. He left it to you."

"Uncle Jay, I don't know if I can handle it by myself."

"I'm here for you, sweetie," he told her, "I'll always be here."

She got up and walked into the stables. She walked up to a stall and a horse poked its head out. "Hey, boy," she said subbing its snout, "How are you doing?" She nibbled at her shirt making her smile. She went into her pocket and pulled out two carrots. "Bandit, I don't know what to do anymore. Everything is going wrong. My father just died. I have no mother. No one seems to care about what I'm going through besides my uncle. Yet, I feel like I can only talk to you."

He nudged at her head and licked her. "I love you, too, boy."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: the uncle in this story is not Jay the surfer that Ava knows. it was just a random name from the top of my head. this Jay is just a made up character._

Kay sat on her bed one morning trying to forget everything and introduce the ranch to some freshmen in high school. She didn't really like giving tours of her ranch. The kids always hurt a horse one way or another. Kay couldn't deal with having a horse getting hurt, especially if the horse was Bandit.

"Kay, sweetie," her uncle said knocking on the door, "Breakfast is ready."

She wiped her eyes, got up, and opened the door. "I'm not hungry," she said walking passed him.

"Kay, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just not hungry," she said to her uncle. Jay sighed. He was really starting to worry about his niece. He walked up to a window and saw Kay walking to the stables. The only thing he loved about Kay is how happy she was whenever she was around Bandit. If anything ever happened to that horse, Kay would take it terribly bad.

He felt as if he wasn't doing his job of taking care of her like his brother wanted him to. He was losing touch with her. She didn't even know how her father died. She was just sitting home that night and got a phone call saying that her father died.

"Jay," his wife said walking up to him, "How is she?"

"Terrible," he said turning around, "She won't eat. I found her crying in the middle of the night. She'll only talk to her horse, Bandit. I can't stand seeing her like this."

"It will take her a while to get through it," she told her husband, "But, did she know that her father was in the war?"

He shook his head. "She just knew that he was out of town."

Kay walked up to Bandit's stable and noticed that the door was open. Her heart rate increased several beats per minute. She ran out of the stables. "Bandit!" she yelled looking around, "Bandit!" Then, she heard Bandit's nay. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw numerous trees. "Oh god...BANDIT!" she yelled running into the woods.

"Kay!" she heard her uncle yell. She didn't stop. She just kept sprinting until she found Bandit with another horse. Her uncle finally caught up to her panting.

"Bandit...Come here boy," Kay said softly trying not to startle any one of the horses.

"Wild Mustangs?" her uncle asked out loud, "This isn't right. There are no wild horses out this way."

"Shush," Kay said. She took little steps towards Bandit and the other horse as she kept calling Bandit's name. Bandit finally began walking up to Kay and going at her jacket. The Mustang ran deeper into the woods.

Kay and her uncle arrived back to the ranch just as the high schoolers were getting off of their bus. She looked at her uncle and moved her mouth to speak when he cut her off.

"I'll talk to them. I know that you're not ready to talk about it yet."

"Thank you," she said softly.

Kay walked bandit back into his stable. She closed and locked the door after he wa placed inside. He stock his head out and rubbed his snout on her face.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, "Why did you run out?" She laughed at herself because she was still talking to a horse. Tears formed in her eyes and one escaped. She wiped it away and walked to the house.

"Sweetie?" she heard. She turned around and saw her aunt there. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "Everything is falling apart. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Talk to me. Please," her aunt begged, "Everyone on this ranch is worried about you."

Kay wiped her eyes. "Aunt Denise, I can't do this. I can't make this ranch into what it was before my father died. I'm only eighteen. I don't know what I want to do with my life."

"All I can tell you is to do what your heart wants."

Kay walked into her house and went to her room where she cried her eyes out. She didn't know what to do with her life anymore. Everything was falling apart. Even Bandit wanted to get away from her. She should have known her life would be messed up when she found out that her mother abandoned her for some male stripper she met. After about half an hour, Kay was calmed down and headed back out to the stables to do some work. She wanted to do her best to avoid the high schoolers that were there. As she walked into the stable, she saw a boy there. He didn't look like a freshman in high school. He looked more like a senior. He was looking at the horses.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

He looked over at her. "No," he said softly, "I'm sorry. I'm just remembering the memories I had on my old ranch before I moved here."

"Are you here with the group of high schoolers?"

"No. I'm a freshman in college. I know the guy who feeds these horses and he brought me here today."

"You know Hank?"

He smiled at how many questions she was asking him. "Yes. I'm Bradin," he said extending his hand.

"Kay," she said shaking it.

"So, you're the owner now?" he asked. She nodded. "You're lucky. I'd give anything to own one of these again. I'm sorry to hear about your father."

"It's fine," she said.

She watched as Bradin walked up to Bandit's stable. "Who's this beauty?" he asked.

"That's my horse, Bandit," she said, "My father got him for me for my...eleventh birthday. Even though he may seem old, he's in amazing condition. He's my best friend."

Bradin looked at Kay and back at Bandit. He saw Bandit start walking towards him and Kay. He saw the horse go to Kay's shirt and bite at it making her smile.

"I don't have any for you," she told him. She looked at Bradin who was looking at her. "You can touch him."

Bradin raised his hand and placed it on Bandit's mane. "He's gorgeous. Kay," he said looking at her, "Do you think I can come by a few days a week and help out around here?"

"I don't know how much you're going to get but-"

"You don't have to pay me. I want to help out here because I love ranches. I just miss being around them. Being here can help me out as well."

"Sure you can help out. But, I don't know what kind of work you're going to be doing and I don't know how long you're going to work the days you are here."

"It's fine," he told her, "I just need to work on a ranch again. And, I'm off of school for a while, too. So, you might be seeing a lot of me for a while."


	3. Author's Note

hey everyone. is everyone not liking this story? or just not reviewing. i won't update until i get more reviews soming in.

sorry i'm not in a good mood right now and dont mean to take it out on you all. 


	4. Chapter 3

Kay walked Bradin out of the stables. They walked by the group of freshmen who were learning how to ride a horse. Out of nowhere, the horse started to act up. It knocked the kid off of its back causing the kid to land wrong on her arm. Kay ran up to the group and calmed the horse down since no one else would. Her uncle was checking out the girl's arm.

"It's broken," Jay said as the girl cried holding her arm, "We need to get her to a hospital."

"We'll pay for the medical bill," Kay said once she calmed the horse down.

"Kay," her uncle said.

"Hey, she got hurt on MY ranch. It's the least I can do," she told her uncle.

"I can go with her to the hospital and tell her parents what happened and what you're willing to do."

That night, Kay sat around a fire she built out by an open field. Whenever something bothered her, she always went to this spot to just think and wonder. There was another spot she always went to when bad things have happened. It was past the woods where Bandit ran to earlier that day with that other horse. She went to that spot when she heard the news about her father's death. She sighed and looked at the fire.

"Hi, sweetie," her uncle said sitting beside her on the log she was sitting on, "The girl's parents want to thank you for paying for the hospital bill. But, they won't take it. They were really nice about it. Neither were mad. It turns out that the girl wasn't even suppose to be on the field trip."

Kay nodded as she continued to stare at the fire. "Who was that boy you were with earlier?"

"He's a friend of Hank's. Hank brought him here today so he could talk to me about working here until he goes back to school. I'm letting him work."

"What about his pay?"

"He doesn't want to get paid. All he said is that he wanted to work on a farm once again. He use to live on a farm and he truly missed it. I guess that letting him work here was enough."

"Are you going to give him money anyway?" her uncle asked.

"Yeah. No one on this farm works without getting paid at least $40 a week."

"My brother raised you well," he told her. "Kay, there's something you need to know about your father."

"I don't want to talk about him," she said getting up, "He's dead, okay? I can't bring him back! I wish I could because I need him right now!" Jay got up and wrapped his arms around his niece as she cried. "I wish my mother liked me," she whispered.

"Hey, hey," he said pulling away but keeping his hands on her arms, "She left because she thought she was in love with that creep. Within two weeks, she called your father begging him to take her back because she made a big mistake. Her leaving had nothing to do with you, sweetie. It's a good thing that she left your father. When she left, he was happy. Then, you came into the picture and here you are."

"Here I am crying my eyes out because I have no parents! No one cares about me anymore! I'm always being lied to! I hate life! I hate it!"

"Sweetie, calm down," Jay said, "No one is lying to you."

"You lied to me, Uncle Jay!" she screamed at him, "I know exactly what happened to my father! He wasn't away on business. He was in that war!" After finishing the sentence, she ran off towards her house. Jay knew that he messed up majorly.

Bradin arrived at the ranch the following day with Hank. As they approached the stables, they saw a horse come out with Kay riding it into the woods.

"Oh, shit," Hank said. He began running towards the stables where he saw Jay standing around with the other workers. "What's going?" he asked as he and Bradin approached them all.

"We don't know," Jay said, "We just got here and saw her riding off into the woods. I don't know if we should go after her or not."

"You're her uncle," Hank said.

"She found out that I lied to her about her father," Jay said, "She won't talk to me."

"I'll go," Bradin volunteered.

"Young man," Jay began, "You don't know your way around these woods."

"I'll just follow the trails. She told me about them yesterday. Maybe she needs someone her own age to talk to her."

Hank looked over at Jay and at Bradin. "Let him go. He's right. She needs someone near her own age. She can't be talked to like a little child by all of these adults."

Jay gave Bradin a horse and Bradin rode the horse deep into the woods. He stayed on the path until he came to an open field. There, he saw Bandit near some logs in the grass. He rode his horse up to Bandit and got off. He looked around for Kay and didn't see anyone. He hardly knew her and was very worried about her. All he knew is that she lost her father and had a very nice personality. He stood there for a few minutes until he heard what sounded like many horses running from something. Out of nowhere, he saw Kay run up to Bandit.

"Kay, are you okay?" he asked.

She climbed up on Bandit and rode him towards the horses.

"Kay!" he yelled. He hopped onto his horse and followed her deeper into the open field. 


	5. Chapter 4

For about ten minutes, Bradin rode his horse, following Kay as she followed a herd of horses. She finally stopped when the horses ran into a bigger, more open field.

"Shit!" she yelled. she jumped off of Bandit and sat in the grass.

Bradin rode his horse up to her, got off of his horse, and sat beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said softly not looking at him.

"Kay, talk to me. The guys on the farm are worried about you."

"So, the only reason you're here is to get me to tell you what's wrong so you can go tell them," she said, "If they haven't fucking lied to me, I'd be talking to them!"

"Calm down," he said, "I'm not going to tell them. I'll lie. I'm good at that." She looked at him and shook her head. "I know that you didn't want to hear that. But, you'll find out eventually. Back to what I was saying, I'm here because I was worried about you. As Hank and I walked to the ranch, I saw you go tearing off as you rode Bandit and I got scared that something happened to you."

"Why would you care about someone that you just met?"

"You gave me a place to work on something that I've missed a lot. How can I not be worried about you?"

"I'm just the owner of the ranch," she said.

"Doesn't matter," he said, "You gave me part of my life back. And, I thought maybe you need to talk to someone your age. If you needed me to, I'd leave you alone. However, I don't know my way back."

She smiled a small smile.

"Come on," he said standing up, "Let's go back. We can go slowly."

"You're not going to rape me or something are you?" she asked.

"I'd never do something like that to any girl. It's an invasion of their privacy, that's how I look at it."

Kay stood up, walked over to Bandit, and climbed onto him. Bradin did the same to his horse. As the rode their horses back slowly, Bradin and Kay talked. "Why were you chasing those wild horses?" he asked.

"To see where they were going or came from," she told him, "Something is going on out here and I want to figure it out soon."

"If you need help, you can call me up. I'll be there for you."

"Thanks," she said as they arrived at the ranch. She stopped Bandit, hopped off, and took him to his stable to feed him and let him rest. As she gave him water, her uncle walked up to her. She didn't want to talk to him at that moment.

Bradin watched as Kay walked into her house. He felt bad that he couldn't do anything to help her. It hurt him a lot. He didn't want to sit back and watch her go through this. He wanted to do something for her.

Six o'clock came around and Bradin was cleaning up before he headed home. As he walked out of the stables, he saw Hank walking up to him. "Come on," Hank said, "Kay is cooking dinner for the workers. Once a week, she cooks for us."

Bradin nodded and hid a smile. He and Hank walked into the house and saw in the dining room. Bradin got up right away and walked up to Kay.

"Kay?" She looked up from the bowl she was putting food in. "Can I use your phone?" She nodded. "Thanks." She went back to preparing the food. Bradin used the phone in her kitchen and watched Kay as she brought food into the dining room by the employees. She walked back into the kitchen as Bradin hung up with his aunt. He noticed that Kay was about to cry. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she said quietly.

"Kay," he said as he touched her arm softly, "please."

"Please don't touch me," she said moving away from him, "I know that you're trying to help. But, please don't touch me."

He placed his hand in his pocket and watched her. He saw her break down harder and run off. "Kay!" he yelled. She ran through the dining room and up to her room slamming her door shut.

"What's going on?" her uncle asked walking up to Bradin.

"I don't know. She just started crying and ran to her room."

"Why don't you all go home?" Jay suggested. "We'll do dinner another time."

As Bradin walked by the stairs, he looked up and prayed that Kay would be okay. Then, he left with Hank.


	6. Chapter 5

_"Kay?" she heard. She turned around from putting clothes in her drawers._

_"Daddy!"she yelled jumping into his arms._

_"How's the birthday girl?" he asked giving her a kiss on her forehead._

_"Fine."_

_"Come on. I have something for you," he said putting her down._

_He led her out of her room and down outside of the house. He turned towards her, told her to trust him, and blind folded her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her several yards. When they came to a stop, he told her to wait._

_"Take it off now, sweetie."_

_Kay took off the blind fold and her jaw dropped at the sight of a beautiful horse. "Daddy," she screamed, "He's gorgeous!" She ran up to her father and hugged him tightly. "I love you, daddy," she cried._

_"I love you, too, princess," he said._

Kay opened her eyes and felt tears escape her eyes. She hated yet loved her dreams lately. She hated them because they brought back memories that she couldn't relive. Yet, she loved them because they were always about her father. It was the only place where she could spend time with her father. She sat up and rubbed her face. She was glad that it was Saturday. She was home alone most of the day. As she got up and got some clothes to wear, the doorbell rang. She walked down to the front door and opened it.

"Hey," Bradin said.

"Hi," she said, "You do know that-"

"Yeah," he told her, "We have off on the weekend. But, I need to talk to you. Do you have a second?"

She stepped aside and let him in. He walked in and looked back at her as she closed the door, admiring her look. To him, it looked like she just woke up. However, she was still pretty. "So, what's up?" she asked.

"Are you busy tonight?" he asked. She looked at him funny. "I told my aunt what you've done for me. She wants to pay you by making dinner and possibly giving you something."

"It's no big deal. I'm glad to have given you a job here. She doesn't have to. But, I can't go out today. I have a lot to do here."

"Do you need help?"

"No. I can handle it." She studied his face expressions when she told him that. "You didn't come here to invite me to dinner, did you?"

"Yes and no. I wanted to see how you were doing. I was worried about you."

"I'm fine, really."

"Can you please think about my offer?" he asked handing her a piece of paper. She took it and noticed that it was his phone number. She looked up and found him walking out of the house. She sighed.

Bradin sat on the beach that afternoon thinking of Kay. He was trying to figure out something she said to him the the day prior to that moment.

_"How could you care about someone you don't know?" she asked._

It went through his mind making him think more than he ever has. Could his mind be playing tricks on him? Could his heart be playing tricks on him? He didn't know at that moment.

"Hey Kansas," Erika said walking up to and sitting beside him, "What's wrong?"

"Something's on my mind. I think I need to do this on my own."

"Is it about that owner of that ranch your ditching surfing for?" she asked.

He looked at her as if she was blaming Kay for him not wanting to surf that much anymore. "Yeah. It's her."

"Come back to surfing," she begged, "You don't need the ranch. Surfing is your life."

"No. Yes surfing makes me happy. But, working on this ranch is much better for me. I love the stables. It reminds me of home."

"You're not home, though, Kansas. You're in Cali now. Kansas can't be a part of your life anymore."

"How can you say that?" he asked. "Kansas is and always will be a part of me. God, I can't believe I was in love with you." With that, he stood up and walked away from her with her calling after him.

It was cutting close to dinner time and Bradin knew Kay wasn't coming. Yes, he was disappointed. He was hoping for the chance of getting to know her. As the food wa being set on the table, the doorbell rang.

"Bradin," Susannah said, "someone is here to see you."

Bradin looked up from the table and saw Jay, Kay's uncle. "Jay?" he asked.

"Hi. I came here to tell you that Kay wasn't able to make tonight. She was riding Windmill and he went crazy. As he raised his front legs, she fell off and broke her arm."

"Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She's fine. But, she was looking forward to coming tonight. This just happened and now she can't make it."

Inside, Bradin smiled knowing that Kay DID want to come to dinner. "But, she's fine?"

"Yeah. I didn't find your number where she said it was. So, I asked Hank where you lived since we were out this way and thought I should tell you."

"Thanks. Tell Kay that I'll ocme by tomorrow to see how she is."

"I will."

_A/N: hey everyone. i don't know when i'll be updating again. my job has me working crazy hours and its taking up almost everyday of the week. i don't know when i'll have time to write. however, i do plan on finishing it. hope you enjoyed this chap._


	7. Chapter 6

Kay sat at her kitchen table around lunchtime playing with her food. Her arm was in so much pain. Not only that, she had another dream about her father the previous night. It made her really upset.

"You have to eat, sweetie," her aunt told her as she sat in the chair next to her.

"I'm not hungry," Kay said dropping her fork and standing up. She walked out of the kitchen.

Kay walked to the stables and up to Bandit's stable. "Hey boy," she saidnsoftly. He walked up to her and nibbled at her coat making her smile. "You're one smart horse," she said. She went into her coat pocket and pulled out two carrots. She gave him one and sighed.

"I'm so confused, boy," she said leaning her head on the panel of the stable opening, "I keep having dreams of my father. How the hell could they lie to me like that? How do I know he even died? I don't know who to trust anymore."

"Hey," she heard. She turned to her side and saw Bradin. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened and I told your uncle to tell you that I'd stop by today. I'm guessing that he didn't tell you."

"Of course not. He never tells me the truth anymore."

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Don't be. You did nothing."

"Why did you ride that horse after he hurt that high schooler the other day?" he asked.

"Because I was stupid," she told him, "I was so upset and mad at something that I rode him. I wasn't thinking."

Bradin saw Bandit lick Kay's ear making her pull away telling him to stop. Bradin smiled. Kay noticed how cute he looked when he smiled. "Why are you wasting your weekend here?" she asked.

"I'm not wasting time. I'm here for a good reason."

"Sh," she said. It was quiet. She heard horses in the fields. All of the horses in the stables went crazy, including Bandit. She walked to the opening of the stables and saw horses running through the woods to the fields. "What the hell?" she asked out loud. Bradin walked up to and stood by her side staring at the horses.

"Wild Mustangs in Cali?" he asked.

As they stood there, they heard horses running but saw nothing. They turned around and saw more horses running towards them. Bradin Pulled Kay to the side making them fall and watch the horses. She yelped in pain and grabbed her arm. She opened her eyes and saw Bradin standing over her as the horses ran by filling the walkway in the stables. The horses in the stables went crazy as the final horses ran by. Bradin looked up to make sure everything was safe and uncovered Kay.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

"It hurts like hell," she told him as she rubbed her arm, "Why-"

"I don't think you wanted to get hurt any more than you already have."

"Thank you," she said.

"It's no problem. You're an amazing person. The world would be horrible without you." She smiled and walked in the direction in which the horses ran in. Bradin's heart wasn't playing tricks on him this time. He was actually feeling...happy. He went to the med kit that was in the stables and brought out an ice pack. He walked up to Kay and placed it on her arm. She looked at him.

"Kay!" her uncle yelled running up to her, "Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Kay said, "I have to find where they're going or where they came from."

"You're hurt," her aunt said, "You're not going anywhere."

"Would you let me go if I wasn't hurt?" she asked knowing the answer.

"No. Your father-"

"My father is dead, okay?" she said as tears formed in her eyes, "I can't bring him back. And don't bring him up when I want to do something and you won't let me do it. It's not going to work."

Kay walked away and headed towards the fields. "Kay!" Bradin yelled running up to her.

"I'm just going to the field. I promise," she said, "Bradin, go home. Dont worry about me."

She walked deeper into the woods ad Bradin sighed. "How can I not worry about you?" he asked outloud. 


	8. Chapter 7

Kay sat on the log looking out at the field. She didn't know what to do with her life anymore. As usual, she tried to hold back her tears but failed. Everything was going wrong. As she sat there, she heard horses running and then saw them. She stood up and walked to the field. She stood at the bottom of the hill and watched them run. She looked to see what they were running from and saw nothing.

Weeks passed and everything seemed to stay the same. Bradin and Kay seemed to get closer and become friends. Kay and her relatives were always fighting. The wild Mustangs appeared every few days. Kay arrived at the stables after getting her cast of. Her arm was fully healed after having a cast for over six weeks. She got out of her car and walked into the stables to talk to Bandit.

"Hey boy," she said as he stuck his head out to her. Once again, he nibbled at her shirt. "You are too smart for a horse," she said as she fed him a carrot, "I can ride you again starting tomorrow. You get to go out more than you have within the past eight weeks." He snorted making her smile. "I'll come by later."

She turned and jumped when she saw Bradin standing there. He laughed noticing how much he scared her.

"I'm sorry," he said laughing, "I didn't mean to scare you. How's the arm feel?"

"Lighter," she said, "It feels weird but hey, it's better."

He smiled and opened his arms asking for a hug. She looked at him and pointed at his clothes. "You do know that you're dirty," she said.

"So?" he asked stepping closer.

She stepped back. "So, when you're clean, I'll hug you."

"Kay," he whined.

"Brae," she whined mocking him.

"Oh you're going to get it," he said.

She looked around and back at him. "Should I run?"

He grinned causing her to turn and run from him. He laughed and chased her. She just reached the outside of the stable doors when she got tackled right into a mud puddle left from the rain the previous night.

"Bradin!" she yelled. He laughed evilly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to get you dirty."

"Riiight," she said, "Get off of me."

"Will you give me a hug?" he asked with a smile.

"If that's what it takes to get you off of me then yes," she said. She pushed him off and stood up not wanting to wait for him to get off of her. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Let me just tell you that you are soo lucky that these clothes are old," she told him. He smiled once again and let go of her.

"At that moment back there," he said as they began walking to her house, "I felt like a kid again. I always use to tackle my siblings into mud puddles back in Kansas on our farm. Again, thank you for letting me work here."

"Oh!" she said, "Speaking of letting you work here, I have something for you." Bradin waited by the front door for Kay who went into the kitchen. When she walked back out, he notcied how pretty she looked even with all of the mud on her clothes and body. "Here," she said handing him some money.

"Kay, what did I say before?" he asked.

"And what did I tell you before?" she asked. "No one works on this ranch without getting paid."

"Kay," he said.

"Bradin, please."

He sighed and took the money. That night, Bradin walked into his house and shut the door behind him.

"Hello, sweetie," his aunt said, "How was it today?"

"It was good." Bradin walked into his room, got clothes, took a shower, and headed back to his room. When he headed to the kitchen, he sat down in a chair.

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked from the living room.

"It's Kay," he said softly, "She pays me when I told her that letting me work on a ranch again is all I needed. I want to pay her back."

"Invite her to dinner," Susannah said.

"I don't know," he sighed.

Kay sat at her dining room table with her laptop. She was looking at an e-mail that was sent weeks ago about her father. She was also looking at pictures of him and her when she was younger. She could feel tears coming to her eyes. She sighed and sat back in her seat. She looked out a nearby window and heard Bandit. She stood up and walked outside to the stables. She walked up to Bandit's stable and he calmed down.

"What's wrong boy?" she asked.

She watched as he walked deeper into his stable and layed down. She smiled. He began to shake his head and make noises.

"I can't stay out here," she said. He made more noises. "Boy, another night. I promise." She gave him a few carrots and headed back into the house.

Bradin walked up to the stables the following day and saw the other guys standing in a circle. He walked up to them and stood next to Hank.

"What's going on?" Bradin asked.

Kay's uncle walked up to them. "Everything is fine," he told them.

Bradin ignored what was going on and began to work. Around lunchtime, he began to wonder what Kay was up to. She always came out to check on them around ten. Today, she didn't. He knew that she needed to be alone for a while. Bradin sat on a stack of hay and sighed.

"You okay, boy?" Hank asked sitting beside the teenager.

"I'm just tired," Bradin replied.

Then, the two heard Jay yelling. "Kay!" Jay yelled. The both looked and saw Kay riding Bandit into the woods. In the distance, they could hear more horses running.

"Shit," Hank said standing up, "Come on, Bradin."

Both boys ran up along with the other guys. They all got on horses and followed Kay. It seemed that Kay would be going faster and faster each time the guys were catching up to her. They arrived at the open field and saw the wild Mustangs. What was wrong thought was that Kay was following the horses.

"Kay!" her uncle yelled.


	9. Chapter 8

Kay rode Bandit fast trying to catch up to the horses. Most of the wild horses were crying and Kay had no idea at what. She was determined to figure out why these horses were here. Bandit fell as he ran. Then, everything went dark.

The guys saw Bandit collapse and Kay going down with him. They all stopped their horses and ran up to Kay and Bandit. Both bodies were motionless. Jay called up Denise to get help right away. Jay looked as the other guys, excluding Bradin, were checking out Bandit. They all had sad expressions on their faces.

"No," Jay said.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Hank said walking up to him.

Jay looked down at his niece and began to cry. She was going to be so devistated. "We need to bring her to the ranch. Bradin, can you carry her?"

Bradin nodded and picked Kay up into his arms. The other guys got up and walked back slowly on their horses while guiding the horse Bradin rode back to the ranch. Bradin looked at Kay in his arms and hoped she would be okay. Now that Bandit was gone, she's going to change so much. He kissed her forehead and continued walking.

He walked into her house and placed her on the couch just as her aunt, uncle, and a doctor walked in. They watched as the doctor looked at Kay. "She should be fine. Her head probably just hit the ground a little hard. She should be up shortly," the doctor told them.

"Bradin," Jay began, "can you stay with her while her aunt and I talk?"

"No problem," Bradin said quietly.

"Help yourself to watching television or something," her aunt said.

Bradin nodded and looked at Kay. He moved a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Half an hour passed since Kay's aunt and uncle left to talk. Bradin still remained at Kay's side in case she woke up. He got up as he thought and walked over to the window and looked out at the stables. He saw Kay's uncle, aunt, and employees talking to one another. Bradin sighed not knowing how to tell Kay that Bandit died.

"Oh shit," he said someone say softly. He turned around and saw Kay moving around.

"Hey," he said walking up to her, "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," she said, "What happened?"

She saw his face fall from happy to sad. "Kay, I don't know how to tell you what happened. I don't want to be the one but everyone else won't tell you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked sitting up.

"When you were riding Bandit and chasing those wild Mustangs, Bandit collapsed and you went with him."

"And, the bad part is where?" she asked.

Bradin took her hand. "Bandit died."

"No," she said. She got off of the couch and ran to the stables with Bradin chasing and calling after her. She arrived at Bandit's stable and saw it empty. Tears formed in her eyes as she hugged herself and felt weak.

"I'm sorry," she heard. She looked to her side and saw Bradin there. Her aunt, uncle, and employees all walked in to find Kay sobbing. Bradin took Kay into his arms and held her trying his best to be there for her.

"Why me?" she whispered. She felt Bradin tighten his grip on her making her break down even more.

"Calm down," her uncle said.

Kay pulled away from Bradin. "How can I calm down!" she yelled, "Bandit is gone! Just like my father! I have nothing left of him! I might as well just leave to!"

Bradin took her into his arms again once he heard that she wanted to leave. No one else was motioning towards her to hold her or be there for her. Bradin would make it his job, hopefully for a long time.


	10. Chapter 9

_A/N: sorry for not updating for a long time. life has been going downhill lately and i needed time to myself. i'm trying to finish this story as fast and best as i can. i'm sorry if it doesn't turn out well but i'm starting not to care about writing anymore. i do promise you that i WILL finish this soon. also, sorry if this turns out short._

Kay sat in her room wondering why Bandit left her. Now, she had no one to turn to and pour her feelings out to. Taking deep breaths usually calmed her down. Today, it wasn't working. She was too upset. She was so sick of being upset and crying all of the time. Why was everything going wrong for her? Why was she the only one of who she knows who was getting put through pain like this?

She laid down on her bed and took one final breath before closing her eyes to try to sleep some of the pain off. She opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at her clock on her night stand and saw that it read 6:00p.m. She slept for four hours. A knock sounded on her door as she sighed and placed the back of her head on the wall behind her.

"It's open," she said just loud enough for them to hear her. The door opened and Bradin walked in.

"Hey," he said softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," she said, "I don't get why this is happening. Yes, it's life. I get that part. But, why did my dad have to go when right now I need him the most?"

"I know what you mean." He looked at her and found her giving him a strange/curious look. "I told you before. My parents died and I had to move here to live with my aunt. I need my parents now, too, just like you need your father." Braidn looked at her desk and saw a picture of her, Bandit, and an older man. "Is that your father?" he asked pointing to the picture.

"Yeah," she said quietly, "He built this ranch with his father when he was younger. When his father died, my dad was given it. Now, I own it. How am I going to run this place? I'm only eighteen. I don't even know if I want to stay here any longer."

"Try it for a few more days. If it doesn't make you happy anymore, move on and find something that does."

She shook her head and just sighed.

"If you leave thi place, then so will I," he told her.

"What? Why?" she asked in disbelief.

"I only stayed this long because I like you. I thought that maybe if I stayed here for a few more weeks and got to know you, maybe we can be more than friends."


	11. Chapter 10

Kay could not believe that she was going out with Bradin that night. It wasn't like any of the other times they've hung out either. They were, she actually agreed to go on a date with him.

"Kay," her aunt said knocking on the door before opening it, "Bradin's here."

Kay wiped her eyes from the tears not wanting to show anyone her feelings.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"A lot of things," Kay responded, "I don't know how to feel about anything anymore."

"Bradin's a good guy," her aunt said sitting beside her, "He seems nervous about tonight, too."

"I know how he feels about me, Aunt Denise. But, he doesn't know how I feel. I can't tell him. It won't work out."

"How do you know?"

"Look at my past relationships," Kay said standing up and walking over to her window, "I don't want to hurt him."

Denise stood up and walked over to her niece. "Go out with him tonight. Maybe he's different."

Kay sighed and walked out of her room. She was about to turn to walk down the stairs when she heard her uncle and Bradin talking.

"The honest truth, Bradin, she's scared."

"So am I," Bradin said, "I don't want to hurt her like the girls I've hurt in the past. Your niece is...different. How many times have you heard that? How many times have I said it?"

"Calm down," Jay told the teenager, "As Kay's aunt probably told her, be you. It's why she said yes to tonight."

Bradin sighed. "If she said yes because of me, why isn't she down here yet?"

Kay couldn't listen anymore and began to walk down the stairs. Bradin smiled and they left. They walked silently for a while not knowing where to go or what to do.

"Bradin." "Kay." they said in unison.

"Go head," Bradin said.

"I don't know where to begin. I know this isn't what you wanted tonight. Brae, I'm scared. I don't want to hurt you. Please. Why don't we just end it before this even starts?"

"Kay, I can't do that," he said softly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Kay, I need you. I'm scared, too. When I'm around you, I'm me. That hasn't happened in a very long time. And, you're wrong. Tonight, I am doing something I want. I'm spending tonight with you. It's what I've wanted for a long time."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you, either," he said placing his hands on her cheeks, "You mean a lot to me. I've said that to many girls. However, I've grown apart from them. I knew them for like...a week and then asked them out. But, with you, I've waited months. Do you want to know why?"

She shook her head no.

"Well, I'm going to tell you. You make me me. You make me happy. You make me sad when you're sad. You make me feel alive. I love you. Please, don't be scared. You needed to know. I don't know how much longer I could have held it in."

Kay covered her mouth.

"This wasn't supposed to happen tonight, either," he said softly, "I didn't know what else to do. We've done almost everything in this town together since we became friends. I'm sorry."

Bradin turned and walked away trying to hold back his tears.


	12. Chapter 11

Bradin sat on the beach thinking about hours prior to that time. He couldn't believe that their first date ended the way it did. Now, he would never have a chance with her. He wanted to cry, but he held himself back from showing how hurt he was. Life for him was going downhill lately. He didn't know why. Now, his life fell deeper than deep. Kay wasn't with him the way he wanted her to be which killed him.

Kay knew she messed up with him. She should have told him the truth instead of letting him walk away the way she did. Images of her and her father flashed through her head. She remembered him telling her something important and then walking away.

_"How could you!" she yelled to him._

_"I'm sorry, Kay!" her father screamed, "I'm sorry that you had to wait this long to find out! I'm sorry for keeping it from you for your entire life! And, I'm sorry that I'm your father!" He left in anger._

That was the last time she saw him. Her heart torn to pieces when she found out that the secret he told her that day. She got up from the log and began to run to where Bradin lived before she lost him the way she lost her father.

Bradin sat in his room looking at Military brochures. If his life was going the way it was, he would rather die than live it. He ran his hand through his hair as he picked up the phone and began to dial the number on the one brochure.

"Bradin," his aunt's voice sounded, "is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he said just loud enough for her to hear him.

"You have a visitor," she said.

Bradin hung up the phone before he finished dialing the number, got up, opened his door and saw Erica there. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I want you back," she said, "The past several months without you have been a nightmare."

"I've moved on, Erica. I've met someone who I thought could change my life. It turns out that I'm not suppose to be here. She doesn't want me the way I thought she did. But, I know for a fact that I don't want you."

"Bradin," Erica said before a hand touched her arm. She turned to see Nikki there.

"Bradin, Kay's uncle just called," Nikki said, "Someone found Kay two hours ago lying in the middle of the road."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She's back at her ranch. Nothing was serious injured. But, he thinks that you should go talk to her. She was running here before she got hit."

Bradin turned towards Erica. "I'm sorry. But, I need her more than you may need me." With that, Bradin walked out on Erica.

Kay stood in the stables looking at where Bandit use to stand and sleep when he wasn't out. Tears formed in her eyes as she lost all of the guys she needed in her life. She eased herself to the ground where she hugged herself as she cried. She buried her face into her arms. As she sat there, arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to a body. She could tell that it was Bradin by the way she was being held. She looked up at him with tears down her face. He took his hand and wiped her tears away the best he could. She leaned in and softly brushed her lips against his.


	13. Chapter 12

"Can you tell me about your father?" Bradin asked. The two teenagers were in Kay's house in the kitchen. She was pouring them some hot chocolate as they sat at the kitchen table.

"When he was little, his father wanted a ranch of his own after moving here from...I think it was a small town in Oklahoma. So, for months, they worked on this place. After my great grandfather died when my father was twelve, he passed on his horses to my grandfather. Since then, this ranch has been a part of our family's life. Back to my father, this ranch was his life. He only left it I say for two weeks at the most due to the honeymoon with my mother. Then, I say a year after the marriage, I came to life. When my mother left, after my birth, my father was devistated. I always wanted to do more than just stare at him drooling like babies do."

Kay wiped her eyes as she continued.

"He watched me as I ran around with these horses when I was little. He promised me two things when I was six: he would buy me a horse and never leave the ranch. He broke one promise. He left the ranch because of me. We got into this huge argument about my life and he went off and joined the army."

"What was the fight about?" he asked.

"How stupid I was being not applying to college," she said, "He told me that I needed to get away from the ranch for a while and I argued against it. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. I hate it so much. The only reason why I said that I hate it is because the only two people, well one person and a horse, that actually ever came to me because they were upset are now gone. I don't know if I can go on knowing that they're both gone because of me."

"Kay, that's not true."

"It is. My mother left because she didn't want me, my father left because he couldn't handle me anymore and Bandit died because I rode him badly."

Bradin placed his hand on hers making her look at him. He used his other hand to wipe away the tears on her face. "Please, don't ever think that you're not wanted. You are. You're aunt and uncle care for you. The workers here care for you. And, I care for you. Why else would we be worried about you?"

"You're all wasting your time."

"Just because all of this is happening to you doesn't mean you're not wanted. Kay, you don't know how bad I want to be with you. Why do you think I've tried to be there for you as best as I could of? Why do you think I came here tonight after arguing with someone I wanted to be with months ago when I heard that you got hit by a car? Why do you think I held you tightly in the stables tonight as if I never wanted to let you go?

"You've made me go back to who I was when I was in Kansas. I'm the old me again. When I want something, I don't always get it, but I don't give up until I know that I'll never get it or do get it. Hell, if you and I are just friends, I'll be one happy guy."

"There's a lot more to my life, Brae," she told him, "I can't tell you, though, not yet at least."

"I'm fine with that. There are things I still need to tell you but I want to wait until the right time. I understand completely, baby."

"I'm really sorry about tonight," she said, "Everything was just going in weird directions and I don't know if it was what I wanted."

"Don't worry about it," he told her, "I'll wait forever if it comes down to it. I just need you to make me who I truly am. And, your uncle and aunt told me that you need me because I make you who you truly are, which is what I like."

The phone rang making Kay get up and answer it. "Hello?" she asked softly trying to hide that she was crying.

"Kay Michaels?" she heard.

"Yes. This is she," she said with confusion.

"My name is Greg Francis. I work with the Army. in which your father joined. Are you free sometime tomorrow?"

"Yes. Why?"

"We need to talk about some things. Can I come over and talk around...noon?"

"What do we need to talk about?" she asked.

"Your parents," Greg said, "There's some things you need to know about them."

"My mom left when I was little and my dad died in the war with the army a few months ago. What else is there?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Please, Kay. Over the phone is not a good way to talk about what we need to talk about. I'll stop by around noon. Have a good night."

They hung up leaving Kay so confused and scared about tomorrow. Bradin got up and walked up to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Um," she began, "Greg Francis, the head army man or whatever he is, wants to meet with me tomorrow and talk about my parents. How could he know my mother?"

"If you need me with you when you talk to him, call me."


	14. Chapter 13

Kay's alarm went off at nine the following morning. She did not want to talk to this Greg guy from the army. She didn't want to talk about her parents was the main problem.

Noon time arrived and Kay sat in the kitchen waiting for the arrival of Mr. Francis. She sat for nearly half an hour waiting before the doorbell finally rang. Indeed, it was Mr. Francis.

"My apologies," he said. She nodded and let him in. "Well, where do you want me to begin?"

"The reason why you randomly called me," she said.

The workers at the ranch all stared at the house when they saw Greg Francis walk in. They were all worried about Kay. Bradin rarely took his eyes off of the house.

"That's not true!" Kay yelled pounding the table for the millionth time.

"I'm sorry, dear," Mr. Francis said, "It's true." Kay got up and threw her chair before walking and standing over the sink. "Ms. Connolly, I know that you did not want to hear it. However, you needed to know. Kay closed her eyes, let a tear slide down her cheek, and took a deep breath.

Outside, everyone saw Mr. Francis walk out of the house, to his car, and leave. Kay's aunt and uncle ran into the house to make sure that Kay was okay.

That evening, Kay and her relatives sat at the kitchen table.

"Have you thought about this?" her uncle said.

"Yeah," Kay said softly.

"Are you sure it's what you want?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"What about Bradin?" her aunt asked.

"What about him?"

"Have you thought abou him and how much you're going to hurt him by doing this? He likes you a lot sweetie."

"You don't think I know that!" she yelled, "I like him, too! But you both are always telling me to do what my heart wants. And, I believe that this is what my heart wants."

"Joining the army is NOT what you want!" her uncle screamed, "You're doing what your father did! You're running away!"

"SHUT UP!" Kay shouted, "Don't bring him in to this! Don't bring my parents in to this!"

Kay got up and ran tothe stables. When she got there, she realized it was pointless. Bandit was no longer there. She leaned on the outside of Bandit's stable as she sat on the ground. She didn't know how long she sat there until someone stood in front of her. She looked up and saw Bradin. He was always there when she was upset. He took her hands, pulled her up, and held her in his arms as he looked into his eyes.

"Don't join," he whispered, "I beg of you. Don't join. I almost made that mistake until I met you. If you don't believe my feelings, believe this."

He smashed his lips against hers. Kay didn't know what to do. Then, she felt the kiss and began to kiss him back. She could feel him tighten his grip on her telling her that he never wanted her to leave him. He pulled her small body closer to his and held it there until they pulled away slowly.

He took a deep breath and tried to hold his tears back. "Tell him you can't do it. You don't want to turn into your parents. Hell Kay, I need you. I love you... I love you, Kay Connolly."


	15. Final

Years have passed. Kay did join the Army. Her family and Bradin was upset with her for doing it. However, Bradin was also happy because they were together. Right after her training, Kay was sent to war. Bradin was so pissed. He was so upset when she told him that he actually went ballistic on her. It wasn't even her fault. He really wanted her to call him after that. A year passed and he heard nothing from her. He didn't get a phone call or a letter since that day.

Tears flowed down Bradin's face. He messed up with Kay and wouldn't get her back. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't get her back after how he acted. Today, he stood at the airport waiting for his sister. She was coming home from college for the summer. When she got off of the plane, she ran up to her family and hugged them.

"You still heard nothing?" Nikki asked Bradin.

He shook his head, sighed, and walked away.

Days passed and Bradin's birthday arrived. His family went against his wishes and threw him a party. All he wanted was Kay back in his arms. His wish wouldn't come true. He was alone most of the night. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Everytime someone would try to talk to him, he'd get up and walk away. Kay's aunt and uncle came. He got up and hugged them both. Kay's aunt handed him two cards.

He opened up and read the one from Jay and Denise. Then, he stiduied the other one and slowly opened it. The outside was cute. When he opened it, it was dated that day. He became confused and continued to read the card. Tears came to his eyes as he finished reading it.

"Bradin," his sister said hugging him, "You mean the world to Kay."

"You mean I MEANT something to her," he cried.

"You mean everything to me," Kay's voice sounded. Bradin looked up and saw Kay standing there. She repeated, "You mean everything to me. Not one person in my life has taught me how to stand when I was down. No one was ever there to lift me up to help me stand when I was down. No one ever did anything to make me stand when I was down... No one but you."

Bradin ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly making her yelp. He pulled away and looked at her with a worried look.

"I was injured in my ribs the day I found out that the war is over," she told him. She saw him smile. "I'm home until the next war or battle," she finished.

"I'm so sorry about that day, baby. I was just so pissed off. Everything was going wrong. You leaving made it worse. I'm a wreck without you."

"It's true," Nikki said. "When I came home from college a few days ago, he didn't even hug me because he missed me. You were on his mind every second of every day since you stopped talking and keeping in touch with him."

Kay looked at Nikki and asked, "Really?" Nikki nodded.

"Let me tell you something, Bradin," Denise said, "Kay meant everything she just told you. She begged the doctor at the hospital to send her home three days early so she could tell you what you mean to her."

Bradin looked at Kay and kissed her. He pulled away and looked straight into her eyes. "Make him complete," his brother, Derrick, said

"Huh?"

"Make him complete."

"Marry me," Bradin said before Kay could become more confused than she already was.

"If you made him the Bradin I knew before we moved here, you're amazing," Nikki said, "Say yes."

"Am I ever going to get to say something?" Kay asked making everyone laugh. She looked at Bradin who was smiling. She whispered something in his ear and pulled away.

"Take this and wear it until I can actually get you a gorgeous engagement ring," he said pulling out his class ring. Everyone clapped as the couple kissed and went on to live their lives together.


End file.
